Public sector procurement professionals in high demand



The CIPD’s Labour Market Outlook for 2022, which is based on a survey of 2,000 employers across all sectors, found that 53% of charities were trying to recruit for “hard-to-fill” roles.

Only two areas are finding it harder than the charity sector, with another public sector space – education (56%) – topping the list of areas struggling to hire.

How is public sector procurement recruitment faring?

Ben Stickland, Senior Recruitment Consultant – Public Sector at Procurement Heads, said, “The CIPD data is not surprising to see and is being mirrored in the procurement and supply chain recruitment market at the moment.

“There are several reasons for the high demand in these spaces, such as an increased need for services from charities from people hit hard by the pandemic and the cost of living crisis and education as learning providers have returned to in-person teaching.

“As global supply chain issues continue we are also seeing increased demands for talent in local government and the NHS.”

What procurement and supply chain skillsets are in demand in the public sector?

Ben added, “Clearly, knowledge of European procurement, contracts and rule changes as a result of Brexit are in particular demand, as are supplier relationship management and softer skills for negotiating improved contracts.

“Equally, stakeholder management – procurement and supply chain professionals who are able to set expectations and show the value procurement delivers are in particular demand within the public sector right now.”

Jon Boys, labour market economist at the CIPD, said, “The voluntary sector has a high incidence of hard-to-fill vacancies. This could be caused by the difficulty in competing with the private sector for talent, especially as private sector pay awards are expected to be a bit higher.

“To tackle this, employers in the voluntary sector could focus on the other benefits of working in the sector, such as working for a social purpose. A focus on job quality, including flexibility, can also be provided at little cost to the business.”

The CIPD commissioned the polling company YouGov to survey 166 charities, 361 public sector employers and 1,473 private firms in June and July.

The body said the research had been weighted to be representative of UK employment by organisation size and sector.


If you are looking for your next procurement or supply chain opportunity in the public sector, reach out to Ben to start a conversation.

If you are looking to hire a procurement or supply chain professional, on a permanent or interim basis, click here to schedule a call with Ben and the team.

Sign-up for job alerts.

By entering your email you agree to receive job alerts and marketing communications from Procurement Heads. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. See Privacy Policy.

Scroll to Top